Why are phones and appliances so hard to repair?

The European Commission says premature disposal of consumer goods that could have been used longer creates 35 million metric tons of waste, uses 30 million metric tons of resources and causes 261 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions each year in the EU. Making parts and manuals available is one way to keep more of those goods in use.

Regulation 2023/1670 applies from 20 June 2025. Makers must supply batteries and other listed parts to professional repairers and end users until at least 7 years after the end of placement on the market. Parts must arrive within 5 working days in the first 5 years and within 10 working days after that.

California's SB 244 requires parts, tools and documentation for 7 years for products costing $100 or more and 3 years for products from $50 to $99.99. Apple told the bill's sponsor it would support SB 244 as long as it did not create safety or data security risks.

The Commission's estimates for its 2023 repair proposal were consumer savings of 12 billion euros per year, 1.8 million metric tons of resources and 18.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 15 years. These are projections, but they come from the body that wrote the rules.

Maureen Mahoney of Consumers Union said it should be up to consumers to decide who repairs their products, and that automakers made similar safety arguments before Massachusetts passed its auto repair law. Independent shop owner Fraz Khalid said third-party parts are the same quality as genuine parts and cost far less than Apple repairs.

Dusty Brighton of the Security Innovation Center said untrained repairs can compromise safety, privacy and security, and that tinkerers could expose devices to hacks or raise fire risk. A tech industry coalition warned that sharing information and parts without contractual protections would endanger consumer data and intellectual property.

Apple argued that an Oregon bill limiting parts pairing would undermine the security, safety and privacy of Oregonians by requiring makers to accept parts from unverified sources. It also warned that letting third-party biometric sensors work without authentication could expose users' personal data.

New York's law excludes game consoles, motor vehicles, medical devices, commercial electronics and components with heightened safety risks such as integrated batteries. It lets makers supply some safety-related parts pre-assembled, and it does not require disclosure of trade secrets. Of five state laws, only Oregon and Colorado address parts pairing.

Under the EU Right to Repair Directive, manufacturers of covered products must make spare parts and tools available at a reasonable price, but the directive does not define reasonable. Only 10 product categories have the stronger repair duties, and many everyday products fall outside them.

The Commission's figures on emissions and resource savings are estimates over 15 years for its 2023 proposal. Rollout is also uneven: on 25 September 2026 the Commission opened infringement proceedings against 18 countries for not notifying full transposition of the directive.